Printer sheet assembly table



Nov. 20, 1962 Filed Oct. 51, 1960 J. H. LEMCHE PRINTER SHEET ASSEMBLY TABLE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 lll/ /l'l Fig.2

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5 c 28 Q /8 26 Q I i .4 m 8 lnvehtor Attorneys Nov. 20, 1962 J. H. LEMCHE PRINTER SHEET ASSEMBLY TABLE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 31, 1960 -ooo0ooboooo 1962 J. H. LEMCHE 3,064,525

PRINTER SHEET ASSEMBLY TABLE Filed Oct. 31, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 [11/ I/l/l/l Inventor WW4, By vfaiaw mx AttorneyJ United States Patent Ofifice PRINTER STEET ASSEMBLY TABLE Johan Henrik Lemche, Copenhagen, Denmark, assignor to Cartoprint A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark Filed Oct. 31, 1960, Ser. No. 65,998 Claims priority, application Great Britain Nov. 2, 1959 1 Claim. (Cl. 88-24) This invention relates to assembly tables such as are used in assembling various pieces to form an assembly which is to be photographed or copied. More especially the invention is concerned with such tables which are employed in the graphic arts industry in which the pieces are in the form of transparencies bearing developed photographic images or drawn or printed images of the various parts of a composition which is to be reproduced by a printing process of one kind or another: in such cases, the assemblage of pieces is usually copied directly or photographed and the resulting transparency is laid to the printing surface of a printing plate for the production of a printing surface on the plate.

Such tables enable the various pieces to be arranged in relation to each other in order to obtain a final set-up which is attractive or conforms to a previously planned working scheme, e.g., as is set-up for salient pages in papers, magazines or books, or images for pamphlets and picture posters.

The main object of the present invention is to provide an assembly table by which the various pieces while being held to the table can easily be manipulated to effect the required grouping arrangement in which they will remain held.

Broadly stated, an assembly take comprises a perfo rated plate forming a closure to a chamber to which a suction action is applied: thus, various pieces, such as thin material in the nature of paper or photographic film can be laid to the outer surface if the plate to which they will be held by the suction action through the perforations: provision would be made to vary the degree of suction so that firstly a relatively small holding action can be imposed so as to enable the pieces to be slid over the surface of the plate to enable them to be arranged as required, and then an increased suction can be applied to hold the various pieces firmly in the selected arrangement to enable them to be dealt with as a composite whole, with the various pieces held fast against displacement by the suction action.

To facilitate the use of the table, the plate would be formed of a transparent or translucent material which is illuminated from below: for the same purpose, the plate could be formed with opaque rulings forming a rectangular grid pattern on the plate, against which pattern the various pieces can be aligned.

As a matter of construction, the table is in the form of a shallow closed box, the upper wall of which is constituted by the perforated plate: the suction control can be disposed on the front wall of the box where it is convenient for operation by the user.

In some cases, the box can be divided into separate sections to enable different sections of the plate to be used independently of one another so as to enable the table to be used for positioning various pieces in the different sections: each section would, of course, have its own suction control.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of an assembly table and supporting column, FIGURE 2 is a vertical section through the table itself, FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the table, FIGURE 4 is a plan view to a larger scale of a part of the table, and FIGURE 5 is a local vertical section to a larger scale of the front part of the table.

3,064,525 Patented Nov. 20, 1962 Referring to the drawings, the table proper is in the form of a shallow, rectangular box 1 mounted at the upper end of a hollow column 2 having a supporting base 3.

The box has a base wall 4 and, rising from that wall, vertical walls 5 which removably support a transparent or translucent plate 6 forming the Working surface of the table, this plate having over its area perforations 7. This perforated plate 6 covers the interior of the box, the base wall of which has an opening 8 by which the interior of the box is connected to the interior of the hollow column 2: in that column is housed a unit comprising a suction fan 9 and an electric motor for driving it. In this hollow box are also mounted tube lamps 10, 11 which illuminate the plate 6 from below.

Thus, when the suction fan 9 is in operation, a suction effect is produced in the interior of the box 1 and hence through the perforations 7 at the outer surface of the plate: thereby, pieces laid to the outer surface of the plate are held in position. Depending on the degree of suction, the pieces will be held only lightly so that they can still be moved or slid, as required, over the surface of the plate 6, or they will be held more or less firmly in position.

The degree of suction is regulated, in the arrangement shown, by regulation of the speed of the motor driving the suction fan 9: this is effected by a switch, indicated at 12, of the well-known kind having three positions. In one position, the motor for driving the fan 9 is deenergised, in another the motor is energised through a loading resistance which causes the motor to run below full speed so as to produce a lowered suction effect, and the third for direct energisation of the motor so producing full speed and hence the full suction action. The switch 12 can also control the lamps 10, 11.

It is preferred, as is shown in the drawings, to divide the area of the perforated plate 6 into two parts which can be used independently of one another. For this purpose, the interior of the hollow box just below the plate 6 is divided by translucent partition walls 15, 16 and 17 into two parts 1*, 1 below which is a horizontal translucent wall 18. The remainder 1 of the box below the partition is permanently open, through the opening 8, to the interior of the hollow column 2 and hence to suction when generated by the fan 9: each of the two parts 1 1 communicates separately with the part 1 through openings 19 in the end partitions 15, 17, which openings are independently controlled by valves in the form of discs 19: the discs are mounted on operating spindles 20 which pass through guide sockets 21 to the outside of the box 1 where they have operating knobs 22. The discs are urged by springs 23 into their closing position and the spindles are provided with transverse pins 24 which, by turning the knobs, can be moved into and out of register with slots 25 in the sockets 21. By turning the knobs to one position, the pins 24 engage the outer ends of the sockets 21 to hold the valve discs 19 in their open positions: by turning the knobs to register the pins 24 with the slots 25, the springs 23 are enabled to act to close the valve discs 19.

In such an arrangement, two switches 12 are provided respectively for controlling suction action in the two parts 1 1 of the box 1.

As is indicated in FIGURE 4, the perforations 7 are disposed in a rectangular grid pattern parallel with the edges of the plate 1: these perforations may be circular, as is shown, and may be of the order of 0.6 mm. in diameter with a pitch of the order of 4.5 mm. The plate 1 may also have on it a rectangular grid-line pattern 26 set, as is shown, with respect to the grid pattern of the perforations 7 that perforations fall in each square of the grid-line pattern.

As is shown, each of the parts 1 1 can be divided into two parts by intermediate partitions 16 16' which are formed with openings 27 to allow the suction effect to be applied to the whole extent of the parts 1 1* when the valve discs 19 are opened.

It is convenient to form the vertical partitions 15, 16, 17 and 16 16 in two parts: the upper parts are permanently attached to the underside of the perforated plate 1: the lower parts are permanently attached to the face of the partition 18 so that these lower parts and the partition 18 form a unit. That unit is secured in position by nuts 28 which can be removed to enable the unit to be removed for the inspection of both parts 1 1 As is shown, the base 3 is provided with an upstanding hollow spigot 29 which sup-ports the fan and motor unit which is held in position by the bolt so and the clamp 31. The spigot is dimensioned to enable the lower end of the column 2 to be passed on to it.

The operation of the table will be clear from the foregoing description: if the whole area of the perforated plate is to be used both valves 19 are opened: if only a small surface of the plate 6 is required for the work to be done, one of the valves discs 19 may be closed so that the suction action is limited to half of the working space on the plate. The provision of two valves 19 also enables two persons to work at the same table, but at different tasks.

The pieces held by the suction elfect are illuminated by the lamp-s 10, 11 and clearly show the text, pictures and other matter thereon, while the grid pattern indicates the main directions of the image surface.

When the pieces are finally arranged as desired and the suction is increased to hold the pieces firmly in posi- A tion, an adhesive foil is placed over the pieces, the suction is discontinued and the foil with the pieces adhering to it in the required arrangement is removed.

I claim:

A printers sheet assembly table comprising a perforated table top of translucent material; wall means under said table top and therewith defining a suction chamber; suction creating means including a fan communicating with said suction chamber, and an electric motor for driving said fan; means for controlling the operation of said suction creating means and having two selective efinite settings, one for effecting operation of said suction creating means to produce a suction effect that holds sheets firmly in set position on said table top, and the other for effecting operation of said suction creating means to produce a suction effect that holds sheets sufficiently less firmly on said table top to enable sheets to be slid on said table top; and a hollow column on which said table top and wall means are mounted, said fan and said electric motor being mounted within and supported by said column, said column itself serving as the sole supporting means for said table top and wall means and the sole support and housing for said 'fan and motor, and also serving as a duct providing communication be tween said fan and said chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,656,138 Breslauer Ian. 10, 1928 2,596,811 Carlson May 13, 1952 2,951,430 Dumke et a1. Sept. 6, 1960 2893,824 Richaudeau July 25, 1961 

